In The News

Is Nuclear Diplomacy with the Mullahs Possible?

August 8, 2005
After calling an agreement drafted by European officials "unacceptable," Iran has announced its plans to resume uranium enrichment activities. Despite Tehran's claims that its nuclear program is for civilian purposes only, the general consensus is that Iran is building a bomb. If the nation succeeds in developing nuclear arms, the power structure in the Middle East would be...

Tech That, And That

S. Enders Wimbush July 29, 2005
Throughout history, democracies have allied with one another. The emerging ties between the US and India, however, are not due to a shared democratic ideology, but can be attributed to a recent convergence of interests. In this Outlook India article, S. Enders Wimbush argues that the recent agreement between President Bush and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was motivated less by a desire to ‘...

Good Day for India, Bad for Nonproliferation

Strobe Talbott July 21, 2005
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Washington last week was hailed as a major step forward in US-India relations. India was finally "decoupled" from Pakistan in American foreign policy, and recognized as a nascent "superpower" in its own right. However, as Brookings Institution president and former US special envoy to South Asia Strobe Talbott cautions, the...

Chinese Buildup Seen as Threat to Region

Ann Scott Tyson July 20, 2005
Yesterday, the Pentagon released a report on Chinese military capabilities that may be ominous for other Asian powers as well as for the United States. While the findings revealed that Beijing does not yet have the military strength to exercise true dominance in Asia, its development of long range missiles – which could reach both India and the US – points to a longer-term strategy. Experts...

Welcome to the Nuclear Club

July 19, 2005
A July 18 meeting between President Bush and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh may signal a breakthrough in relations between the two countries, as the US officially recognized India as "a responsible state with advanced nuclear technology." The symbolic value of this statement was considerable: As The Economist explains, Bush is "offering to help India, which became a nuclear...

A Stir in Asia

Victor Mallet July 19, 2005
Mounting tensions between China, Japan, and South Korea have brought a wave of nationalism to East Asia over the past year. Taking an increasingly assertive stance on controversial disputes over territory, history, and nuclear weapons, politicians in these three nations have worked excessively hard to promote chauvinistic sentiments in public. Although passionate nationalism is not new in East...

Finally, Washington Is Ready to Play Ball

Jonathan D. Pollack July 19, 2005
On July 9, North Korea announced its willingness to return to six-party discussions, after exiting negotiations more than a year ago. Anticipating the next round of talks, analyst Jonathan D. Pollack reviews the Bush administration's interaction with Pyongyang during "this oddest and most slow moving of crises." In the past, Washington has sought an unequivocal end to North Korea...